The world situation can only be characterized as highly volatile and unstable. The profound economic, political, social, and military instability, outlined in previous issues of Socialist Appeal, has intensified over the past year. Without a doubt, we are in the most turbulent historical epoch since the end of World War II, if not the most tumultuous in human history. It is only the beginning of a period of wars, revolutions, and counter-revolutions - an era of world crisis and world revolution. Our political perspectives and organizational tasks flow from this.

We have entered the most convulsive period in history since the end of World War I. Politically, economically, and socially, the capitalist system is in crisis and millions of people are looking for a solution to improve their conditions of life. The 2008 financial crisis was a tipping point in the outlook of the workers and the youth. The myth of the American Dream has been shattered for millions of people. The events of the past few years have already dramatically shaken people’s consciousness, and they are more and more open to the ideas of scientific socialism. Occupy, Black Lives Matter, and Bernie Sanders's campaign are only the beginning. Due to the inherent instability and crisis of the capitalist system, even more momentous events are on the horizon.

Revolutionary movements have erupted in Egypt, Greece, Venezuela, and a dozen other countries, and the process of world revolution is far from finished. In one country after another, the working class and poor have had enough with cuts and attacks of the ruling class. As far-fetched as it may have seemed to some just a few years ago, even the United States cannot avoid a revolutionary explosion in the not-too-distant future. Events internationally will have a powerful influence on events here in the US. In an epoch of global capitalism and global economic crisis, global revolution is also on the agenda. But will the Marxists be present in sufficient numbers in the most important workplaces, neighborhoods, and campuses to have an impact on the course of historical events? As Leon Trotsky explained in The Transitional Program: "The world political situation as a whole is chiefly characterized by a historical crisis of the leadership of the proletariat." Our task is to build that leadership.

However, educating people in the ideas and method of Marxism will require serious organization on a national and international scale. There is a pressing need for a nationwide organization in the US which can unite the best elements of youth and labor in the struggle for socialism. With this in mind, in the summer of 2001, a small group of American Marxists formed the Workers International League as the US section of the International Marxist Tendency. The most important result of this founding congress was the formulation of our program. As explained in Alan Woods’ Bolshevism: the Road to Revolution:

"A party is not just an organizational form, a name, a banner, a collection of individuals, or an apparatus. A revolutionary party, for a Marxist, is in the first place program, methods, ideas and traditions and only in the second place, an organization and an apparatus (important as these undoubtedly are) in order to carry these ideas to the broadest layers of the working people. The Marxist party, from the very beginning, must base itself on theory and program, which is the summing up of the general historical experience of the proletariat. Without this, it is nothing. The building of a revolutionary party always begins with the slow and painstaking work of assembling and educating the cadres, which forms the backbone of the party throughout its entire lifetime."

We have come a long way since those early days. Our Program has been updated regularly to reflect the changing conditions and will change and again again. With branches across the country and new ones forming, we have begun laying the foundations for a nationwide organization. The tide has turned and millions of people are now open to socialist ideas. We must go out and find them.

The US working class has a proud and militant tradition. We look to the accumulated experiences of the American working class - the great railroad strikes, the mine wars, the formation of the Teamsters and the CIO, the Flint sit down strikes, and more for inspiration. We rest on the traditions of William Sylvis, Albert Parsons, Mother Jones, Joe Hill, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Big Bill Haywood, Eugene Debs, John Reed, Louise Bryant, and the millions of rank and file workers who led and participated in the great struggles of the past. And we are confident that the greatest days of the US labor movement are still to come.

We also base ourselves on the ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky, and on the further development of these ideas by the supporters of the In Defence of Marxism website. The ideas of scientific socialism have been tarnished in the minds of millions by the horrific experience of Stalinism and the continued lies and distortions of the ruling class. We believe that Stalinism was a historical aberration and a criminal totalitarian caricature of genuine socialism. We fight for international socialism, where the world working class has full democratic control over the means of production, distribution, and exchange, in harmony with the environment. Without democracy there can be no socialism! A workers’ government in the US would take over the vast wealth now owned by just a handful of individuals and democratically use it in the interests of everyone.

Our newspaper, Socialist Appeal, which was the name of the first Trotskyist paper in the United States, fights to defend and re-establish the ideas of revolutionary Marxism and Trotskyism in the United States. We invite you to subscribe to, sell, and read the printed version of our paper. The times are changing quickly, and earth-shaking events are on the order of the day. The ideas of scientific socialism are as vibrant and valid as ever - even more so. But we lack the numbers and resources to take full advantage of the opportunities which will open up in the coming period. We must redouble our efforts to ensure that the tremendous fighting potential of the working class is channeled into the socialist transformation of society.

We invite all workers and youth who are in agreement with the ideas expressed on this website, and who are serious about building a revolutionary Marxist alternative to capitalism to contact us about working with or joining the IMT.

We are a growing organization of workers and youth with branches across the country, with many more to come. We are looking for new comrades to help build stronger branches where we have them and new ones where we don't. By being a member of the International Marxist Tendency, you will also be part of a worldwide network of revolutionary Marxists fighting for socialism in over 45 countries.

Political agreement with the program and ideas of the IMT as explained on this site and in the pages of Socialist Appeal is the first step towards becoming a member. Have a look and let us know what you think. Be sure to check out the section About Us section, which has articles covering our history, reports from our events internationally, and important documents we've published. We also have the Marxism FAQ which explains many of our positions on a number of issues. We also offer a Marxist Education Plan which will help focus your studies of Marxist theory.

We invite all those interested in the IMT to contact us with any theoretical or organizational questions they may have. Members are expected to pay monthly dues in order to build the organization, to sell the newspaper locally, to defend and spread the ideas of the IMT in public, to participate in local branches or form them where they are not yet in existence, to recruit new comrades to the IMT, and to participate in the democratic structures of the organization. We are building a nation-wide Marxist organization, the ultimate goal of which is the establishment of democratic socialism in the US and internationally. We are confident that together we can achieve our goal.

In the US the IMT is currently active and building branches in the following areas:

New York City Metro

New Brunswick / Princeton, NJ

Boston, MA

Pittsburgh, PA

Philadelphia, PA

Portland, OR

Seattle, WA

Oakland / East Bay, CA

San Francisco, CA

San Diego, CA

Chico / Oroville, CA

Los Angeles / Beverly Hills, CA

Reno, NV

Salt Lake City, UT

Boulder, CO

Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN

Madison / Milwaukee, WI

Chicago, IL

Des Moines / Ames, IA

St. Louis, MO

Louisville, KY

Durham, NC

Cleveland, OH

Cincinnati, OH

Murfreesboro, TN

Austin, TX

Sherman, TX

Mesa, AZ

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to get involved locally! If you don't see your city/area listed above, please get in touch with us about building a branch. We'll work with you to get one up and running - every branch started with just one person with the initiative and dedication to make it happen. Why not you? You can start the process of finding others to work with locally by printing out the following leaflets and getting them into Marxist books at your local bookstore, library, posting them at school, in coffee shops, etc. Feel free to add your own local contact info as well.